E3 2006: Dawn of Mana Eyes-On

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We see one of the Square Enix titles not named Final Fantasy.

By Erik Brudvig

Nearly lost amongst the deluge of new Final Fantasy footage, information, and announcements at Square Enix's E3 press conference were some of the first bits of concrete information on Dawn of Mana. The title was introduced by Daishiro Okada, President and COO of Square Enix, alongside Children of Mana which is another title in the Mana series being developed concurrently for the Nintendo DS. Although the game was still listed as a TBA release date, plenty of in-game footage was shown interspersed with pre-rendered scenes.

Square Enix really looked to showcase the interactivity of the environments during all of the in-game footage. Every scene we saw featured some sort of inanimate object being knocked over, destroyed, or somehow used in the battle. Like the other Mana titles, Dawn of Mana is an action-RPG though the series has moved to a 3D world in the years since we last saw a true sequel.

Dawn of Mana takes place 10 years before Children of Mana and promises to reveal the origins of the sacred Sword of Mana and the Mana Tree. The game definitely maintains the colorful, vibrant art direction as hinted at by previously released artwork. The trailer featured a dark-armored villain leading a huge army, complete with a war-beast vaguely familiar to Snuffleupagus, against a walled in city. The video closed with the phrase, "Enter an inviting world of sensation," which is a great way to introduce this title. Everything shown was visually and aurally vibrant with loads of interactivity.

Look below for some new screens of this title and check back soon for more information as we get it.